Improvement in gun-wads



CHARLES W. LOVETT, Jr.

Improvement in Gun-Wands.

No. l28 ,23l, Patented June 25,1872.

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PATENT QEEIGE.

CHARLES W. LOVETT, JR., OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPRCVEM ENT IN GUN-WADS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 128,231, dated June 25, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. LOVETT, Jr., of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved GunWad, to be used for smooth-bore small arms or cannon; and I declare the following to be a full and exact description thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawing making a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists of the production of a gun-wad, consisting of 011e or more layers of wire-gauze net-work or strands of iron or other wire secured between two or more layers of paper, felt, cloth, or other similar material, in such a manner that the wad when completed shall expose on its periphery or edge the ends of the strands of wire composing the wire-gauze or net-work, and shall act when forced into and when discharged from the gun as a wire brush, thereby preventing the piece from fouling, and removing from the barrel of the gun the particles of lead and dirt which may have become attached to it by repeated rin g.

My method of constructing this wad is as follows: One or more 4strips or pieces of wiregauze or net-work of wire, or strands of wire or their equivalents, are placed between two or more strips or layers of paper, pasteboard, cloth, felt, or other suitable material, and secured to the same by glue, gum,or other adhesive substance. The strips are then placed under a stamp or punch of the desired size and the wad is struck out.' The wads are then collected, the edges slightly greased, put into suitable packages, and areready for use. When more than one layer of wire is used a layer of felt may be interposed between them.

Instead of the method above described, sheets of pasteboard or paper, or felted or other material, may be manufactured contain ing one or more layers of wire-gauze or network or strands of wire, and from these sheets the wads may be struck out inthe manner above described.

The last-mentioned method avoids the use of any glue, gum,or other adhesive substance other than that contained in the pasteboard or felt used; the wire-gauze or net-Work being inclosed in and forming a component part of that material. s

Instead, also, of the wire-gauze or network of wire above described, layers or a net-work of bristles or other equivalent substances may be used.

In the accompanying drawing', Figure l represents the wad when ready for use, the wire edge b'eing shown at a a a. Fig. 2 represents va. section of the wad, showing the position of the wire with respect to the other materials.

The advantages arising from the use oi' this wad are, the freeing the interior surface of the gun-barrel from lead and dirt, the wire edge acting in the same manner both on the entrance and exit of the Wad from the gun as the wire brush ordinarily used for that purpose, and insuring thereby greater rapidity in loading, and diminishing the recoil of the gun.

The paper, pastebard, felt or other material may be rendered water-proof by covering it or mixing with it some water-proof substance but I do not claim that as part of my invention 5 but What I claim as my invent-ion, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

A gun-wad consisting of two or more layers of pasteboard, paper, felt, cloth, or their equivalents, inclosing one or more layers of wiregauze, net-work, or strands of wire, or their equivalents, substantially as described.

CHAS. W. LOVETT, JR.

Witnesses:

ANDREW GIBSON, O. T. McINTosH. 

